• Coraline

  • By: Neil Gaiman
  • Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
  • Length: 3 hrs and 35 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (9,073 ratings)

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Coraline  By  cover art

Coraline

By: Neil Gaiman
Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
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Editorial review


By Haley Hill, Audible Editor

CORALINE BY NEIL GAIMAN IS A QUINTESSENTIAL DARK FANTASY

I attribute the bibliophile I am today to my early affinity for scary stories—which led me to check out Neil Gaiman’s Coraline from my elementary school library. My first ever stand-alone novel (I discovered my love of reading with R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series), this terrifying children’s tale scared the living daylights out of me so successfully that I even commemorated conquering my fear of flying over the Atlantic Ocean in my early 20s by getting the Other Mother’s spindly fingers tattooed upon my arm. In my mind, I had travelled through a portal leading to the unknown and made it back alive, just like the story’s brave protagonist.

From the novel’s beginning, I found it easy to relate to Coraline. Just like her, I am an only child, which I believe led me to develop an active imagination during the many boring, lonesome moments when I would fantasize about making new friends from within the confines of my backyard. (If you, too, are yearning for a set of quirky companions to help occupy your time, look no further than this audiobook’s marvelous full-cast performance!) Likewise, throughout my childhood, I had frequent recurring nightmares which typically resulted in me getting separated from my family. (Disclaimer: I do not particularly believe that these dreams were caused by my lack of siblings.) As Coraline’s journey led her to a parallel universe where button-eyed doppelgängers of her parents threatened to trap her forever, I am certain that my own anxieties coincidentally helped to make this eerie tale feel all the more uncanny, as if I were witnessing my worst fears unfolding on the pages before me. Despite feeling disturbed at the time, I will forever be grateful to Neil Gaiman for first teaching me about the power of stories to reflect aspects of ourselves within others’ narratives.

To this day, I am still just as frightened by Coraline as I was when I was a child. (If you have seen Henry Selick’s stop-motion adaptation of the story, you know just how grotesque and unsettling the tale really is. And, if you have not yet experienced Neil Gaiman’s original work, prepare yourself for the spine-tingling scenes which the director deemed too disturbing to include in his 2009 film.) But now that I’m older, I find that this listen unnerves me in entirely unanticipated ways, as it now makes me worry that I have come closer than ever to resembling Coraline’s real parents, who struggle to prioritize having fun against their demanding adult responsibilities.

Continue reading Haley's review >

Publisher's summary

In Coraline's family's new flat are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close. The fourteenth is locked, and on the other side is only a brick wall, until the day Coraline unlocks the door to find a passage to another flat in another house just like her own.

Only it's different...

At first, things seem marvelous in the other flat. The food is better. The toy box is filled with wind-up angels that flutter around the bedroom. But there's another mother, and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.

Other children are trapped there as well, lost souls behind the mirrors. Coraline is their only hope of rescue. She will have to fight with all her wits if she is to save the lost children, her ordinary life, and herself.

©2002 Neil Gaiman (P)2002 HarperCollinsPublishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

  • Book Sense Book of the Year Award Finalist, Children's Literature, 2003
  • Hugo Award Winner, Best Novella, 2003
  • Nebula Award Winner, Best Novella, 2003

"An electrifyingly creepy tale likely to haunt young readers for many moons." (Publishers Weekly)
"The story is odd, strange, even slightly bizarre, but kids will hang on every word...and they will love being frightened out of their shoes. This is just right for all those requests for a scary book." (School Library Journal)
"A magnificently creepy story...for stouthearted kids who love a brush with the sinister, Coraline is spot on." (Kirkus Reviews)

Featured Article: Coraline—Book vs. Movie


For nearly two decades, Coraline has delighted and terrified fans, inspiring both a film and graphic novel adaptation. It is the story of Coraline, a young girl who moves to an old house that has been divided up strangely into four flats. The only child of workaholic parents, who always seem to be brushing her off in favor of more important business, Coraline is lonely. When she discovers a portal that takes her to another flat where an Other Mother has all the time in the world for her, Coraline is happy—until things take a dark turn. Here's a look at the differences between the classic and the film adaptation.

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What listeners say about Coraline

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Excellent book excellent movie

10/10 would def recommend I love the movie and love the book even more. They book is more horrifying than the movie and paints such a wonderful picture of all the scenes. Neil Gaiman bravoooo!

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Excellent story and narration

Though short, Coraline is a wonderful story and Neil Gaiman is a fantastic storyteller, both in writing and narration.

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The movie is better

I liked this book, but the movie is better. I did like listening to Neil Gaiman read it, and the descriptions he used were nice. I also liked the details that weren't in the movie, like about what The Beldam did to her mother, and how the passage way connecting Coraline's world to The Beldam's was actually inside some unknown giant monster. But overall the movie is better.

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Movie Did a Great Job

Neil Gaiman’s tale was taken nearly word-for-word to the silver screen with some adjustments, removing a little here, adding in something there. Otherwise, if you enjoyed the movie, you’ll love the book! I gave the performance four stars because I thought his voice felt a little flat at times but, overall, a good listen!

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chills

so, I had only seen the movie before this, and well...this is better. so much better.

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I love the audio book more than the movie

I was introduced to coraline by the movie first. So when I started listening to the book it made more sense than the movie. Coraline didn't instantly love the other world she was weary of it. The father has more of a personality in the book and it was just amazing I love listening to it on morning walks.

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Coraline, Not Caroline

Coraline is an interesting read. Though it is dark for a children's book, I believe that children can enjoy it because of the main character. Coraline is a girl who sets out to right the wrongs that she herself set in motion (though she didn't know what she was getting into at first). She is strong and uses her wits to help solve the problems that she encounters. Through her journey, she is able to piece together the past, and she courageously faces her foes to save not only her parents and herself, but those who have long been forgotten. Through her selfless actions, she proves that she is not only brave, but somebody to look up to, and a part of me wonders what became of her after her unforgettable adventure.

This book is certainly dark, and I would not recommend it for younger children, but I believe that it should be read by older children, teens, and even adults. Coraline reminds me of what it was like to be a child in the big, scary world, but it also brings to mind the resourcefulness that a lot of us grew out of. Whether you're a child yourself or looking back, Coraline is an engaging read that fascinates and captivates those who are brave enough to pick it up.

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Good book

I'd watched the movie when I was younger but to think as an adult it's more of a horror story is crazy

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Cutely creepy

Loved reading the book, the added effects of the audio book were added alot to the ambience

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Eyes help tell the souls story.

I love it, it’s amazing to listen. I’ve noticed many senes from the movie in this and I find it cool. A good book to listen when you’re wanting suspense.

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